I cover the cities of Andover, Blaine and Ramsey. I have worked at ABC Newspapers since August 2007.

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Andover man charged with DWI after crashing into house with truck

Published July 18, 2012 at 3:32 pm

A 24-year-old Andover man faces three criminal charges in Anoka County District Court for allegedly being drunk when he ran into a home and injured a passenger.

Brendon Edward Rudolph, 2312 South Coon Creek Drive N.W., was arraigned July 12 on gross misdemeanor charges of criminal vehicular operation under the influence of alcohol, second-degree driving while impaired (DWI) and second-degree refusal to submit to chemical testing.

According to the criminal complaint, Anoka County Sheriff’s Office deputies were alerted July 10 at 8:30 p.m. that a vehicle had struck a house at the corner of Round Lake Boulevard and 134th Avenue in Andover at a high rate of speed.

Cmdr. Paul Sommer of the sheriff’s office said Rudolph was going south on Round Lake Boulevard when the incident happened. According to the complaint, one witness told police that he was a passenger in a vehicle behind Rudolph’s and were both stopped at a traffic light.

When the light turned green and Rudolph did not go, the driver passed the vehicle. He alleged that Rudolph slammed on the gas and began tailgating them. Rudolph swerved, almost hitting their car and hopped the median, the witness alleged.

After driving over the median from the southbound lanes, the vehicle continued across the northbound lanes, jumped the curb on the east side of Round Lake Boulevard, drove through a lawn almost hitting a mother and her kids, hit another truck in the driveway, flip over and crash into the house, according to a witness.

The homeowner told authorities that she was in the back bedroom when she heard a loud crash coming from the front of the house. She was not injured.

Two males were sitting on the ground outside the severely damaged red pickup truck, according to the complaint. Rudolph was identified as the driver. Both had scrapes and scratches on their bodies and Rudolph’s passenger said his neck hurt, so an ambulance was called.

Rudolph allegedly told police that he was cut off by another vehicle and did not remember anything after that.

Before the ambulance took Rudolph to the hospital, a deputy approached him and asked how much he had to drink. Rudolph allegedly replied, “about six beers.” A deputy administered a preliminary breath test, which came back with a reading of 0.234, according to the complaint.

At Mercy Hospital, a deputy allegedly asked Rudolph on four occasions if he would submit to a blood test and he would not answer. When asked his reason for refusing, Rudolph allegedly said he wanted to talk to somebody first. The deputy deemed this as a test refusal. Prior to this, he made a phone call to an attorney, according to the complaint.

A hospital medical technician obtained a blood draw from Rudolph because of the injuries sustained by his passenger. A sheriff’s office detective learned that the passenger sustained minor cuts and bruises and was still wearing a neck brace, but did not have significant injuries.

Rudolph was convicted of DWI in May 2006 and December 2009. These priors are why this DWI charge was elevated to a gross misdemeanor, according to the complaint.